Archive for: Political Database

Today’s Political Headlines include the UK’s Syria response, free bus travel, NHS funding and vulnerable EU citizens.  

May summons cabinet to decide Syria response
The BBC says that Theresa May has summoned the cabinet to discuss the UK’s response to the suspected chemical weapon attack in Syria, with the Government considering backing military action threatened by the USA and allies. It adds that Jeremy Corbyn has called for Parliament to have a say in the decision and warned about the risk of a ‘hot war between the US and Russia over the skies of Syria’. The Daily Telegraph reports that Theresa May has order British submarines to move within missile range of Syria with strikes potentially beginning tonight, subject to ministerial approval.

Labour pledges free bus travel for under-25s
The Guardian reports that the Labour Party has promised to introduce free bus travel for under-25s, paid for by ring-fencing road tax. The funds would be given to councils who moved to introduce public ownership of bus services or franchising, incentivising councils to create municipally-owned bus companies.

Most voters now back tax increase to fund NHS
According to a poll published in The Times, most voters now back tax rises to fund the NHS, with a significant swing in support of the policy from supporters of the Conservatives. Almost three times as many voters think that the state of the NHS has deteriorated as think that it has improved.

Report warns that vulnerable EU citizens at risk of not securing right to remain
The Guardian reports that Oxford University’s Migration Observatory has warned that vulnerable EU citizens are particularly at risk of failing to secure the right to remain in the UK after Brexit. The paper also carries details of a report by Friends of the Earth, which warns of declining protections for the environment after Brexit. The Times reports that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has offered an ‘upbeat assessment’ of a trade agreement with the UK after Brexit, but India has been less positive.

UK aid budget set for big overhaul
The Financial Times claims that the UK’s aid budget ‘is set for its biggest overhaul in years’, with the Government planning to use development spending to encourage exporters and pension funds to invest in the poorer parts of Africa and Asia. Penny Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary is due to give a speech on the topic today.

Universal Credit unfairly treating self-employed people, charity says
The Daily Mirror has details of analysis by the charity Citizens Advice which shows that Universal Credit is punishing self-employed people, leaving them hundreds of pounds worse off that directly-employed workers earning the same amount. The charity has called on the Government to ‘look again at the design of the benefit’.

Hancock threatens Facebook over data privacy
The Guardian says that the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Matt Hancock has warned Facebook that it is not above the law and could be subject to further regulation is it does not protect users’ data more effectively. Hancock held a meeting with the firm, which sources described as ‘robust but constructive’.

Ministers considering chemical castration for sex offenders
The Daily Telegraph reports that ministers are exploring the use of chemical castration on sex offenders, following trials at six prisoners across the country. A source says that as many as 120 serious offenders have already accepted the treatment, with the paper revealing that the rate of reoffending for sexual offenders has risen by 34% in four years.

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Today’s Political Headlines include the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, May under pressure to join US strikes, the serious violence strategy and May’s £75m prostate cancer strategy.  

Good Friday Agreement anniversary marked, but Gardiner and Davis criticise Irish government over its Brexit stance
The BBC reports that former US President Bill Clinton is visiting Northern Ireland to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and will speak at a conference also featuring Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern. The BBC adds that Barry Gardiner, Labour’s Shadow International Trade Secretary is facing criticism after he suggested that the Irish government and Sinn Fein have ‘played up’ concerns about the impact of Brexit on the agreement, while The Times says that David Davis has accused the Irish government of bowing to political pressure from Sinn Fein and adopting a hardline stance on Brexit.

May under pressure to join US strike against Assad regime
According to The Times, Theresa May is under pressure from ministers and allies to join a US-led military strike against the Assad regime in Syria. Officials have suggested it is unlikely that MPs will be recalled from their Easter break in order to authorise action, but a senior military source told the paper that options are being examined and that a parliamentary vote is not necessary.

Serious violence strategy overshadowed by row over impact of police numbers
The Guardian reports the Government’s new serious violence strategy claims that tackling serious violence is not a law enforcement issue alone and fails to discuss the impact of police levels, despite a leaked Home Office report having linked the two issues. The paper claims that the leak ‘threatened to overshadow the broader findings of the strategy, such as the impact of drug markets, social and economic disadvantages and social media’.

May to set out £75m prostate cancer strategy
The Daily Mail says that Theresa May is to set out a ‘five-year campaign to wage war on prostate cancer’ today. She is to announce £75m of spending to help spot the disease earlier and improve treatment, with the amount spent on research to be roughly equal to that spent on breast cancer.

Norway offers to roll-over trade deals, as Denmark warns of post-Brexit bureaucracy
The Financial Times reports that Norway has signalled that it will co-operate with the UK’s desire to roll over trade agreements with non-EU countries in the post-Brexit transition phase. However, The Guardian says that the Danish Prime Minister said, following talks with Theresa May, that while he was in favour of ‘an enhanced trade agreement’ between the EU and the UK, there will be more bureaucracy after Brexit.

UK one of just five countries to meet foreign aid target
The Daily Telegraph reports that the UK is now one of just five countries which meet the UN’s foreign aid target of 0.7% of GDP. The UK is bound by law to keep the target, and gives almost double the average of all countries according to new figures from the OECD. The UK is responsible for £1 of every £8 given by developed countries.

Gove considers banning live animal exports
According to The Times, Environment Secretary Michael Gove is considering a ban on the export of live animals for slaughter abroad after Brexit. A call for evidence has been issued by the Government today, with animal welfare groups warning that travel can be stressful for animals and that some foreign abattoirs have lower standards.

Social media junk food adverts face ban
The Times reports that junk food adverts are to be banned on social media, with ministers examining the possibility of identifying social media users by age and banning targeted advertising accordingly, under plans to combat obesity, with minister considering whether to force restaurants to label unhealthy foods as they finalise a strategy before the summer.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Russia accusing UK of creating a fake story, Lammy’s criticism of the Government, Labour’s warning over benefit changes and the sugar tax. 

Russia accuses UK of creating a ‘fake story’
The BBC says that Russia has accused the UK of inventing a ‘fake story’ and ‘playing with fire’ over the Salisbury poisoning at a UN Security Council meeting. Former foreign secretary Sir Malcom Rifkind has accused Russia of an ‘attempt to obfuscate’. The Times reports that British intelligence has identified the source of the nerve agent as Russia’s Shikhany facility, in a briefing used to persuade allies that Russia was the source.

Lammy criticises Government over London murders
The Guardian reports that Labour MP David Lammy has accused the Prime Minister and Home Secretary of abdicating responsibility over a ‘culture of violence that’s now becoming endemic’. The Daily Telegraph says that Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police Chief Commissioner, has vowed to use Al Capone tactics to target violent gang members, while The Times claims that use of stop-and-search has fallen, despite Dick endorsing the tactic.

Labour warns that benefit changes may lead to vulnerable people struggling to pay mortgages
The BBC carries details of a warning by Labour that benefit changes may lead to vulnerable people struggling to pay their mortgage. Around 90,000 people on some benefits claim support for mortgage interest, but this is being replaced by Government loans from today.

Sugar tax on soft drinks comes into force
As the BBC reports, the sugar tax on soft drinks has come into force in the UK. Treasury estimates suggest that 50% of manufacturers have reduced sugar content ahead of the change, but some experts warned that consumer’s response to the levy was uncertain. Public health Minister Steve Brine described the levy as ‘a ground-breaking policy’.

Peers write to police to report antisemitic abuse
The Guardian says that a cross-party group of peers, including Lord Sugar, have written to the Metropolitan Police, reporting antisemitic abuse on pages backing Jeremy Corbyn. The Times adds that Joshua Garfield, a Jewish Momentum official in Newham, has quit his post after witnessing ‘more antisemitism in the past week’ than in eight years as a party member.

Justice Secretary on the side of homeowners who defend their property
According to The Daily Telegraph, Justice Secretary David Gauke has said that he is on the side of homeowners who defend their property, following the arrest of a pensioner on suspicion of murdering a man following a burglary. Former justice minister Mike Penning said that the decision appeared ‘heavy-handed’.

Momentum founder outlines plans to make it easier to oust MPs
The Daily Mirror has obtained a recording of Momentum founder Jon Lansman, in which he outlines a plan to make it easier for Corbyn supporters to force out MPs who oppose the Labour leadership, and to curb the power of the unions. The Times reports that the party’s new General Secretary Jennie Formby has placed two senior staff members, the head of the compliance unit and the secretary of the parliamentary party, on gardening leave.

Thirty organisations under investigation by ICO
The Daily Mail reports that thirty organisations, including Facebook, are being investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office as part of its probe into the use of personal data and analytics for political purposes. Other organisations include Cambridge Analytica and Aggregate IQ.

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Today’s Political Headlines include the Commons committee calling on the Government not to rule out EEA membership, the ‘burning injustice’ of the gender pay gap, May battling to preserve alliance against Russia and Corbyn defending his decision to attend the Jewdas event. 

Commons committee calls on Government not to rule out EEA membership
The Commons Exiting the European Union Committee has published a report calling on the Government not to rule out continued membership of the European Economic Area, the BBC says. The report outlines 15 tests for the Government to meet, based on pledges made by Theresa May and David Davis. The conclusions have caused a split on the committee, with Conservative Brexiteers led by Jacob Rees-Mogg voting against the report.

Prime Minister describes gender pay gap as a ‘burning injustice’
The Prime Minister has warned that the country’s gender pay cap is a ‘burning injustice’ which must be tackled, in an article for The Daily Telegraph. Today is the deadline for larger firms to publish the average pay gap between male and female employees. So far, 8,330 of the 9,000 businesses and public sector bodies required to publish their pay gap have done so, with an average median hourly gap of 18%.

May battling to preserve alliance against Russia
The Times claims that Theresa May is battling to preserve the alliance against Russia, after Gary Aitkenhead, head of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, said that he had not identified the ‘precise source’ of the nerve agent used in the Salisbury attack. Downing Street said that the Prime Minister had drawn on a ‘comprehensive intelligence assessment’ before she blamed Russia.

Corbyn defends decision to attend Jewdas event
According to the BBC, Jeremy Corbyn has defended his decision to attend a dinner organised by the left-wing Jewish group Jewdas, despite criticism from mainstream Jewish leaders. A spokesman said that Corbyn had attended the event in a personal capacity, and not on behalf of the party. The Times adds that Corbyn has accepted an invitation to meet the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish leadership Council.

Dan Jarvis can stay as MP if he is elected as mayor, Labour decides
The Financial Times says that Labour’s National Executive Committee has decided that Dan Jarvis can remain as an MP, even if he is elected as mayor of the Sheffield City Region next month. The NEC has granted him an exemption from a resolution passed last month which would have prevented party members from holding two elected positions.

Passport firm in Estonian security scandal over ID cards
The Daily Telegraph reports that Gemalto, the Franco-Dutch firm set to produce the new UK passports, is currently caught-up in a national security row in Estonia after hundreds of thousands of identification cards that it produced were found to be vulnerable to hackers.

UKIP saved from bankruptcy
According to The Guardian, UKIP has been saved from bankruptcy after it raised £175,000 to settle a bill for costs resulting from a libel action brought by three Labour MPs and an additional £350,000. To avoid the cost of another leadership election, the party is also planning on keeping interim leader Gerard Batten in place for the next year.

Increase in childcare costs outstrips wage growth
The Daily Mirror reports that analysis by the Labour Party has found that the cost of childcare has grown by up to 47% since 2010, but wages only grew by 17% over the same period. Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner said this showed that the Government was ‘failing to deliver affordable, sustainable childcare for families across the country’.

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Today’s Political Headlines include May’s community visit around the UK, a Corbyn ally quitting and the continuing antisemitism row, the Home Office criticised over exit checks and the gender pay gap. 

May to visit communities across UK to mark a year to Brexit
Theresa May is to visit communities across the UK, marking a year until Brexit, the BBC reports. She will promise to keep the UK ‘strong and united’ and ensure that ‘no new barriers are created within our common domestic market’. After Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry said that if the Brexit deal was a ‘blah, blah, blah divorce’ it would pass Labour’s six tests for support, The Guardian says that Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer has reassured MPs that the party is prepared to vote against the deal.

Corbyn ally quits after row over Holocaust hoax allegations
The Times says that Christine Shawcroft quit as head of Labour’s disputes panel last night after she was revealed to have defended a council candidate who posted an article calling the Holocaust a hoax. She claims that she had not seen full details of the complaint, and has apologised. In an interview with Jewish News, Jeremy Corbyn described antisemitism as a ‘cancer in our society’, while The Sun claims that MP John Woodcock is considering quitting the party over Corbyn’s stance on antisemitism, Russia and other issues.

Home Office criticised over exit checks
A report by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, published yesterday, found that the Home Office’s system of exit checks is so unreliable that it does not contain departure records for 600,000 people who should have left in the last year, The Guardian reports. The Financial Times adds that this was one of just five critical reports of the Home Office to be published on the second-last day before Parliament’s Easter recess.

Only half of companies required to publish gender pay gap have done so
The Financial Times reports that only half of the companies required to publish their gender pay gap data have done so, despite the fact that only a week remains until the reporting deadline. The Government is also being criticised over the design of the reporting requirements and their effectiveness at addressing gender imbalances. Analysis by the paper suggests that the median gender pay gap so far is 9.7%.

Conservatives accused of breaching manifesto promise on broadband
According to The Daily Telegraph, the Conservatives are being accused of breaching a manifesto promise. The new Universal Service Obligation, under which households have the right to request a broadband connection with a 10mbps minimum speed, will not apply to households where installing the connection would cost over £3,400.

Parole system in crisis following Worboys ruling
The Daily Mail says that the parole system is in ‘crisis’ after three high court judges overturned the Parole Board’s decision to free the rapist John Worboys, citing ‘basic failures’ in the process. The board’s chairman, Nick Hardwick, has resigned and Justice Secretary David Gauke has ordered investigations into six other recent decisions, as the paper claims that he is ‘fighting for his job’.

Grayling accused of lying over rail electrification cancellation
The Daily Mirror says that the rail union Aslef has accused Transport Secretary Chris Grayling of lying over his decision to cancel electrification projects. While Grayling had claimed that improvements could be delivered sooner with ‘state of the art’ bi-mode trains, a National Audit Office report reveals that ‘the major reason for the cancellation was affordability’.

UK using aid spending as bargaining chip in Brexit negotiations
The Times reports that the UK is using the prospect of continued aid spending of over £1.4bn a year to secure a deal on security with the EU after Brexit. While May had hinted at this in a speech last year, the paper reports that it is now being treated as an explicit part of the UK’s negotiating position.

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Today’s Political Headlines include potential criminal offences in Vote Leave, hundreds protesting antisemitism in Labour, universities as ‘safe spaces’ criticised and Stella Creasy attacking high cost credit cards. 

Vote Leave members may have committed criminal offences, lawyers say
The Guardian reports that lawyers advising the whistleblowers who worked for Vote Leave have said that members of the campaign may have committed criminal offences relating to overspending and collusion. The allegations will be debated in the Commons today, in an emergency debate secured by the Liberal Democrats. Yesterday, Theresa May defended her political secretary Stephen Parkinson, who faced criticism for outing a whistleblower as gay.

Hundreds protest about antisemitism in Labour
The Times says that John Mann, the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Antisemitism has warned Jeremy Corbyn that behaviour in some parts of the party is ‘rotten to the core’. Hundreds protested in Parliament Square about antisemitism in the Labour Party yesterday evening, and Corbyn said he was a ‘militant opponent’ of antisemitism.

‘Safe spaces’ criticised by parliamentary report
According to The Times, a new report by the Joint Committee on Human Rights tells universities they cannot be ‘safe spaces’ and must allow unpopular and controversial voices to be heard. The committee, chaired by Harriet Harmon, described the concept of ‘safe spaces’ as ‘too broad or very vague’ and warned that they impinged free speech.

Stella Creasy attacks high cost credit cards
The Guardian reports that the Labour MP Stella Creasy, who it credits with forcing the Treasury to cap interest rates and fees from payday loan providers, is calling for similar action on high-cost credit cards in order to protect vulnerable consumers. She is backing an amendment to the Finance Bill today, which could lead to a limit if successful.

Simon Stevens says £4bn cash boost would bring back post war NHS
The Daily Telegraph reports that Sir Simon Stevens, the head of NHS England, has said that if Theresa May gave the NHS a £4bn cash boost to mark its seventieth birthday, it could return to being the ‘kind of health service we had for the post war period’. Also speaking to the Public Accounts Committee, Sir Andrew Dilnott, who conducted a review into social care, warned that the absence of a cap left pensioners ‘terrified’ about care costs.

New corporate governance code won’t cover executive pay
The Financial Times reports that James Wates, the businessman drawing up the Government’s corporate governance code for private companies, has said that the code will not cover executive pay, but ‘may not be a million miles away’ from that for listed firms.

Williamson condemns Russian use of Internet to spread propaganda
Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, has spoken to The Times about Russia’s use of troll and robotic accounts online to spread propaganda, branding them the ‘Lord Haw-Haws of the modern era’ and saying that they must be confronted. As the BBC reports, the USA and over 20 other countries have followed the UK’s lead by expelling Russian diplomats.

UK threatens to cripple EU satellite programme
In an exclusive, The Sun claims that the UK will cripple the global coverage of the EU’s Galileo satellite programme if it is excluded from it. The UK is to threaten to turn off key infrastructure for the programme on the Falklands, Ascension Island and Diego Garcia.

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Today’s Political Headlines include the EU recalling its ambassador from Moscow, the agreement of the transition period, Owen Smith calling for a referendum on the Brexit deal and the continuation of the passport row. 

EU recalls ambassador from Moscow as it agrees Russia ‘highly likely’ to be behind attack
As The Times reports, the EU has recalled its ambassador from Moscow after leaders agreed that it was ‘highly likely’ that Russia was behind the nerve agent attack in Salisbury. In a statement, the leaders said that there was ‘no plausible alternative explanation’. At least five EU countries are prepared to follow the UK’s lead and expel Russian diplomats.

EU leaders to agree on transition period today
The Financial Times says that EU leaders will agree on the transition period at the European Council today and are expected to approve guidelines on negotiating the future relationship. Yesterday, Theresa May told leaders that ‘considerable progress’ had been made in the Brexit negotiations. At home, The Daily Telegraph reports that the UK has taken delivery of the first of five gunboats to protect the UK’s fishing waters after Brexit.

Owen Smith calls for referendum on Brexit deal
Owen Smith, the Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, writes in The Guardian that Labour should ‘keep asking if Brexit remains the right choice for the country’ and campaign for a referendum on whether to accept the terms of the Brexit deal. The paper says that Smith’s ‘intervention will reopen the split in Labour ranks’.

Passports row continues
The row over the awarding of the contract to produce the new British passports to a foreign firm continues. The Guardian reports the decision to choose the Franco-Dutch firm Gemalco will save taxpayers about £120m and will create around 70 new jobs in the UK. The Daily Mail urges ministers to ‘stand up for Britain’, claims that the current producer, the British firm De La Rue, is threatening to take the Government to court, and alleges that the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, approved the deal without knowing the winner’s identity.

May refuses to intervene over cancer bill
According to The Guardian, Theresa May has refused to intervene in the case of Albert Thompson, who has been asked to pay £54,000 for cancer treatment despite living in the UK for 44 years. He has been unable to provide documentary evidence that he has lived in the UK since he arrived from Jamaica as a teenager. The paper claims that there could be tens of thousands of people in a similarly uncertain immigration position.

Committee backs Heathrow’s third runway, but only with safeguards
The Financial Times has details of a report by the Commons Transport Committee on Heathrow expansion. While the committee backs the third runway, it argues that it should only be approved by Parliament if the Government imposes strict conditions relating to costs, noise and air quality. It also called for more information on the project’s costs.

Political parties grant themselves exemption from new data protection laws
The Independent says that political parties are about to grant themselves special powers to use personal data to find out how people are likely to vote, despite the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The exemption from new data protection laws has been agreed by all the main political parties as it clarifies their right to canvas voters in order to target likely supporters.

May sets up committee to boost female entrepreneurs
The Daily Telegraph reveals that Theresa May is setting up a Downing Street committee to increase the number of women starting businesses, following a campaign started by the paper. The taskforce, which will meet fortnightly, will ensure all Government policy considers the impact on women and increases their role in politics, business and society.

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Today’s Political Headlines include abandoning the NHS staff pay cap, where is Mark Zuckerberg?, May steps back from further Russia reprisals and the Government suffers defeat on Eurotom. 

NHS staff pay cap abandoned
The Guardian reports that the Government has abandoned plans which would have seen 1 million NHS staff give up a day’s holiday for a salary increase. Under the deal, staff will see their pay increase by 6.5% over three years, with full details of the package expected to be announced today, marking the abandonment of the pay cap in place since 2010.

Zuckerberg asked to give evidence as Cambridge Analytica scandal deepens
The Guardian reports that the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has written to Mark Zuckerberg, asking him to give evidence on the use of data by Cambridge Analytica. The paper carries further revelations from Channel 4’s investigation of the firm, including boasts about helping Donald Trump’s campaign and using ‘unattributable and untrackable’ advertising. The Times accuses the firm of offering the leader of the opposition in St Kitts and Nevis a bribe in 2010 in an attempt to swing an election and the BBC adds that the firm’s chief executive, Alexander Nix, has been suspended.

May steps back from further Russia reprisals
The Financial Times reports that Theresa May has ‘backed away’ from further reprisals against Russia, preferring to target Putin’s associates in the UK and adopting a longer-term approach. Hopes of uniting the west have suffered setbacks after both President Trump and President Juncker congratulated Putin on his election victory.

Government suffers defeat on Euratom in Lords
As the BBC reports, the Government was defeated last night when the House of Lords voted to amend the EU Withdrawal Bill so that the UK cannot leave Euratom until a replacement deal is in place. The BBC also carries details of a new report by the Commons Home Affairs Committee, which claims that the transition period may need to be extended to guarantee continued security cooperation. Meanwhile, the Financial Times claims that the EU will offer the City of London ‘appropriate’ market access after Brexit, but only on its terms.

Sick and disabled underpaid benefits
As the Daily Mirror reports, a new report by the National Audit Office has found that the Department for Work and Pensions has been underpaying benefits to sick and disabled people by up to £20,000 per person, with an average loss of £5000. Around 70,000 people were underpaid when they moved onto Employment and Support Allowance.

Northern Powerhouse too focused on Manchester, minister says
The Financial Times says the Jake Berry, the Northern Powerhouse Minister, has said that the policy’s efforts are too focused on Manchester and other large cities and need to be extended to smaller cities and towns in a move which he called ‘Northern Powerhouse 2.0’.

Hunt sets out seven principles to transform social care
Jeremy Hunt gave his first speech since taking control of social care yesterday, outlining seven principles to transform care for the elderly, the Daily Mail reports. A green paper will be published before the summer, but Hunt confirmed that there would be a cap on care costs and suggested an end to the ‘lottery’ which sees dementia patients face higher costs.

Jennie Formby becomes Labour’s new General Secretary
The Guardian reports that Jennie Formby, the Unite candidate, has been appointed as Labour’s new General Secretary. She was selected from a shortlist of two, after Momentum founder Jon Lansman pulled out of the race last week. She was backed by Jeremy Corbyn and the paper says that her victory ‘cements’ his control over the party’s senior posts.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Davis in Brussels, the betting machine cap, Momentum ‘radically transforming’ Labour and Facebook’s data issue. 

Davis in Brussels for transition talks amid fears over Irish border pressure
The Financial Times reports that Brexit Secretary David Davis is holding urgent talks in Brussels today to secure a transition deal. Aides say that he is ‘confident’, but there are fears that the UK may be pressured to make new commitments over the Irish border. According to The Guardian, the UK has already abandoned plans to repatriate control of fisheries during the transition period. In The Daily Telegraph, Jacob Rees-Mogg warns that the UK risks becoming a ‘joke nation’ if it cannot sign trade deals during the transition.

Betting machine wagers should be cut to £30 or less, Gambling Commission says
The BBC reports that the Gambling Commission has called for the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT) to be cut to £30 or less, with the maximum stake on ‘slots games’ £2. The advice is part of the Government’s review of gambling machines, with a decision due in the coming weeks.

Momentum ‘radically transforming’ Labour
An investigation by The Guardian reveals that Momentum is ‘radically transforming’ Labour. The paper finds that local branches of Momentum are ‘challenging party orthodoxies, flouting national membership rules and fighting to get their activists selected’. The paper also says that there are signs of a fightback against the organisation, with Momentum backed candidate only winning a third of parliamentary selections.

Cambridge Analytica and Facebook under fire over data leak revelations
The Times reports that MPs have called for the privacy regulator to be handled stronger powers to investigate technology companies, following the leaking of the personal data of millions of Facebook users. Damian Collins, chair of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has accused Cambridge Analytica of lying to Parliament, and Facebook of misleading MPs.

Johnson under ‘growing pressure’ over garden bridge
The Guardian says that Boris Johnson is under ‘growing pressure’ over the scrapped garden bridge project. Labours’ Shadow Communities Secretary Andrew Gwynne has written to the Foreign Secretary, asking him to provide evidence for his assertion that the journalist Will Hurst criticised the project because he disliked the bridge’s designer.

A&E wait length masked by official figures
The Times reveals that tens of thousands more patients spent more than 12 hours in A&E waiting for a bed last year than revealed by official figures. The discrepancy is because official figures only record the time from a doctor deciding to admit a patient, not from the patient arriving at A&E. Sarah Wollaston, Chair of the Commons Health Committee, warned that long waits raised concerns about patient safety.

Labour to offer ‘more generous’ social care cap
The Daily Mirror reports that Shadow Care Minister Barbara Keeley will pledge to outflank the Tories on social care, implementing ‘a maximum limit on care costs at a more generous level than currently set in the Care Act regulations’. This might include widening the scope of the cap to include costs such as accommodation.

£26m to be spent on breakfast clubs
According to The Sun, ministers are to invest £26m in breakfast clubs at 1770 schools around the country. Two charities, Family Action and Magic Breakfast, will be responsible for running the clubs, funded by the new soft drinks levy and due to start this spring.

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Today’s Political Headlines include the USA’s support of the UK, signing trade deals during Brexit transition, the Good Friday Agreement under threat and the UK’s poisonous air. 

USA expresses ‘solidarity’ with UK over nerve agent attack
The BBC reports that the USA has expressed its ‘solidarity’ with the UK, following the Prime Minister’s decision to retaliate against Russia following the use of a nerve agent in Salisbury. 23 diplomats have been expelled, amid other measures. The Daily Telegraph adds that the Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson will use a speech today to unveil new measure to tackle chemical and biological warfare. The Daily Mail says that backbench Labour MPs have rounded on Jeremy Corbyn after he failed to condemn Russia.

UK will be able to sign trade deals during Brexit transition
According to The Times, the UK will be free to sign trade deals during the Brexit transition period without needing to get permission from the EU, a climbdown from the EU’s previous position. Talks on the transition period are expected to be finished by Monday at the latest so that the details can be signed off at a summit of EU leaders on Thursday.

Brexit threatens Good Friday Agreement, Taoiseach says
The Guardian says the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has warned that Brexit threatens the Good Friday Agreement and could ‘drive a wedge’ between his country and the UK. He also sought to reassure unionists that he does not have a ‘hidden agenda’ for a united Ireland. He was speaking at an event in Washington to mark the 20th anniversary of the agreement.

Four committees criticise the UK’s ‘poisonous air’
A joint report from the Commons Environment, Health, Transport and Environmental Audit committees demands an end to the UK’s ‘poisonous air’, the BBC reports. It calls for a new Clean Air Act, faster phasing-out of petrol and diesel cars, and a motor industry financed clean air fund. The Government has promised to publish a clean air strategy later this year.

Bercow stands aside from commission to allow bullying probe to go ahead
The Daily Telegraph says that the Speaker, John Bercow, is standing aside as chair of the House of Commons Commission in order to allow it to conduct a probe into bullying allegations. MPs had warned him that staying in place would be a ‘clear conflict of interest’.

300,000 more university places needed by 2030
The Sun reports that analysis by the Higher Education Policy Institute shows that universities and colleges will need to find 300,000 new places by 2030 as the number of 18 year olds is set to rise by almost a quarter. Up to half a million places will be needed, the institute argues, if social inequality is to be fixed.

Taxes would have to be raised by £40bn to eliminate deficit by 2025
The Institute for Fiscal Studies says that Philip Hammond will have to raise taxes by £40bn in order to eliminate the deficit by 2025. The Times reports that the think tank’s deputy director, Carl Emmerson, said that he ‘would be surprised’ if that target was met.

May saves 1p and 2p coins
The Sun says that Theresa May ‘rushed to save 1p and 2p coins’ yesterday, after a Treasury consultation suggested that they might be withdrawn. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said the ‘early reaction’ made it clear that the public wished to keep the coins.

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